BGE not getting to temperature

jkraus

Ruined a turkey roast the other day because I could not get my BGE up to temp, stalled around 200+. I have this issue regularly and cleaning out the BGE usually fixes the problem for a while, but seems to be happening quicker than in the past. I am using Whole Foods lump, perhaps it just has too many small pieces?? Any advice appreciated

vidalia1

Load the BGE up to the middle of the fire ring...try putting bigger pieces on the bottom...light in 3 places and let burn for 10 minutes before putting platesetter in...just my 2 cents...

the most common problem is not putting in enough lump... :pinch:

gdenby

Too many small pieces can block the airflow. If I save lots of used lump, and fill the fire box with all the little bits and pieces, it usually takes at least twice as long to get to temperature, and often will not pass 450.
Adding a few big chunks of unburnt at the bottom helps.

Make a "wiggle rod." Just a bent wire coat hanger will work. Something that you can push up through the bottom to loosen lump and ash that have packed in on the bottom grate.

Also, what's the weather been like around you? Two Thanksgivings ago, my meal was really late because the Egg I was using for the turkey would not even break 200 for over 1.5 hr. The Egg had been sitting in rain for about a week, and seems to have sucked up all the heat drying out.

Grandpas Grub

Welcome to the forum.

Heat = fuel + oxygen and in case of the egg oxygen flow up through the lump bed.

Most of the time, if the lump is not wet the problem is a blocked fire grate

When the egg stalls or is slow in starting use a wiggle rod. A coat hanger will work but it is usually too thin to really do the job. Buy or make a rod. Several forum members sell wiggle rods.

Small pieces of lump from previous cooks or small pieces from the bag will work just fine as long as you make sure those pieces are not lodged or blocking the holes in the fire ring and the holes in the fire box.

Here is the results from using all small pieces of lump, thumb size and smaller and all those pieces were saved from previous burns.

The flame you will see is due to the dome being open long enough when taking pictures to let the lump bed ignite.

All small used pieces of lump.








As you can see, there is no problem with temperature.

Here is one place you can get a wiggle rod.
Thirdeye's Tools - ThirdHand and Wiggle Rod The ThirdHand is a great grid lift and well worth the investment.

Also, take some time and look at the information he has on cooking. This is a great site and well worth taking some time to explore.

GG

SmokeyPitt

I've experienced some issues like that- never quite that bad, but I have had times when it won't get past 350-400 with the draft door wide open and the daisy wheel off. Usually I am able to clear it with a wiggle rod, or whatever it is finally burns away and then things get back to normal. However, I have had a couple of cooks where I couldn't get it past 350-400 no matter what I did.

I think the small pieces of lump definitely contribute. I have decided to clean my egg out more often, and remove all the used lump and just pick out the bigger pices. Also- might want to remove your firebox and make sure you don't have too much ash buildup hiding around the sides and back. A blower also works...but kind of messy .

SmokeyPitt

On a side note- just for fun when I use the wiggle rod I like to throw a handful of chips in the bottom of the egg. Usually the wiggle rod will cause some hot embers to fall through and you get an extra little blast of smoke .

Careful though...just a small handful. Last time I had a nice little campfire start up in the bottom.

Grandpas Grub

 
Nice idea... Thanks.

GG

lowercasebill

from bge site

I still cannot get the temperature of my Big Green Egg above 350°F. What could I be doing wrong?
There are two common reasons why the EGG will not reach higher temperatures.

The first is lack of airflow. Make sure that all of the air holes are free of obstructions, including those in the fire grate, the fire box, and the space behind and around the firebox. It is also necessary for the horseshoe shaped opening in the firebox to be aligned with the lower draft door in order to obtain proper air flow. Increasing the amount of air will ensure the EGG reaches higher temperatures.

The second reason you may have trouble attaining higher temperatures is that the lump charcoal is wet or damp. If charcoal is wet, or was wet and has not completely dried, it will be very difficult to reach higher cooking temperatures. Removing the wet charcoal and replacing it with fresh, dry lump coal will remedy this problem.

it is really important to run a shop vac hose in the space between the firebox and the base or remove the innards and clean